


To Make Angels Weep

by pleasereylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: (not Rey or Ben), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben is 36, Ben is a misogynist, Breeding Kink, Cabin Fic, Christmas, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dominant Kylo Ren, Don't Like Don't Read, Drugged Sex, F/M, Gaslighting, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Incest, Loss of Virginity, Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Naked Female Clothed Male, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Older Man/Younger Woman, Possessive Behavior, Pseudo-Incest, Rey is 16, Somnophilia, Uncle/Niece Incest, Unsafe Sex, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), theyre not technically related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:26:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasereylo/pseuds/pleasereylo
Summary: While her mom is on vacation, Rey is forced to spend Christmas Break with her estranged uncle, Ben Solo.Everything is going well until a blizzard traps them inside his isolated mountain home.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 145
Kudos: 613





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please mind the tags!
> 
> Thank you to my amazing beta [cheshire_smile!!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)

[ ](https://nickpic.host/image/auuapq)

“Mom, this is so _unfair_!”

Kaydel sighs, looking her daughter up and down, “Rey, we’ve been over this a million times. I told you to get your grades up, and you didn’t. Now, you have to stay here for winter break.”

“You’re lying,” Rey accuses, “You just don’t want me to go because you want to be alone with your new _boyfriend._ ”

Kaydel at least has the decency to look appalled, “That’s not true, Rey. Armitage and I would have loved for you to come with us. This conversation is over; he’s here.”

Rey follows her mom’s line of sight through the kitchen window and sees Armitage Hux, her mom’s boyfriend, driving his Audi A3 into their cracked driveway. The car— which probably costs more than their house— looks ridiculous sitting in their front yard. Like Hux made a wrong turn on the way to his private golf course.

Kaydel waves at Hux to let him know she’s coming; he waves back and casually leans against the hood of his car. Doesn’t even bother to come inside and help with her suitcase— typical. Kaydel has always had the worst taste in men, but now that she’s sober she has no excuse.

Her mom grabs her large suitcase and rolls it to the front door. 

“Your Uncle Ben should be here soon to pick you up. _Please_ behave yourself while I’m gone, Rey. It was very nice of Ben to agree to watch you— you know how busy he is. It’s a miracle he’s even in the country right now _._ ”

Rey blows a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, annoyed. As if her mom has any right to lecture _her_ on manners.

“I love you,” Kaydel says, exasperated. Her hand is on the doorknob. 

Rey folds her arms over her chest and glares at her mother. But, despite how mad she is, she can’t help but say it back. 

“Love you too,” Rey grumbles. Kaydel smiles, presses a kiss to the top of Rey’s head, then walks outside to shove her suitcase in the trunk. Kaydel gives Rey one last wave before her and Hux drive off to the airport. 

As soon as they’re out of sight, Rey slams the front door closed and plops down onto the living room couch in a huff. 

It’s just so unfair; while her mom is going on a two-week Christmas vacation to Ireland, Rey is stuck in Colorado with her Uncle Ben. She’s 16 now— way too old for a babysitter— but her mom had insisted.

It’s not that Rey doesn’t like her Uncle— quite the opposite, actually. She probably likes Ben even more than she likes her mom.

But she’s always wanted to travel to another country. Rey has done her research, gotten a passport, saved every penny; she even got a part-time job handling luggage at the airport just to get good flight benefits. Kaydel knows all of this— which is why her trip with Hux feels like a slap in the face. 

All because Rey got _one_ D+ in English— which wasn’t even her fault. She swears Ms. Phasma is out to get her. 

Rey is thinking about all the places she’d like to travel when a sharp knock at the door pulls her back to the present. She checks the time on her phone— 6 p.m. exactly. At least he’s punctual. Before she can even stand up, the door swings open. 

“Rey?” A deep voice calls out. Startled, she jumps up from the couch.

“Geez! You scared me, Uncle Ben.”

“Sorry, angel,” he smiles, eyes crinkling.

Rey’s eyes roam up and down his body— he’s changed a lot since she last saw him six years ago. Ben works in the military, so he’s always moving around to different places. Mom says he’s not allowed to talk about it. 

Ben seems to be impossibly wider and taller than before; his hair, which used to be cropped short, now hangs below his ears. However, the most notable change is a pinkish-red scar running from his collarbone all the way up to his eyebrow. _Ouch._

She wants to ask what happened, but doesn’t want to be rude. Maybe later.

While she examines him, he does the same to her; their eyes snap back to each other’s at the same time. He clears his throat. 

“Are you all packed?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Rey gestures to the stuffed duffel bag beside her on the couch. 

“Perfect,” he easily picks up her heavy bag with one arm and carries it outside for her. She stares after him dumbly, unsure what to do. 

After 30 seconds or so, he peeks his head back through the open door, “Well? Aren’t you coming?”

“Right, right,” Rey jolts back into action, double checking to make sure all the lights and appliances are off. Satisfied, she heads outside and locks the door before facing Ben again. 

He’s standing beside a sleek black car, holding the passenger door open for her. It’s a Tesla, but beyond that she has no clue what model the car is— only that it looks expensive. 

“Woah,” Rey says in awe, running her fingers appreciatively over the frame, “Is this new or something?”

Ben chuckles and pats the roof, “She’s a custom, unreleased model. Got her through my job. You like cars?”

And she thought _Hux’s_ car was nice— she can’t even imagine how much a thing like this would cost. In response to Ben’s question, Rey shrugs, “A little. I took Autoshop last year for my elective.”

He nods slowly, “Well, I can tell you more about it when we get home. But we should probably get going before it gets too dark— the roads may be plowed but it’s still pretty icy.”

Rey nods and hops in the passenger seat, just as impressed with the interior as she was with the exterior. She’s so entranced by the car she doesn’t even bother to look back at her house disappearing in the rearview mirror. 

***

When Rey was little, Ben would come by at least once a week to bring her dinner or to hang out and watch movies. He’d always shower her with toys and clothes and special attention. Once, he came and stayed with her for a whole month while Kaydel was in rehab— probably the best month of Rey’s life. 

But then he got a promotion and virtually disappeared for six years, aside from the occasional letter. 

Which is why it feels surreal to be sitting next to him right now. What are they supposed to talk about? The weather? Thankfully, Ben breaks the silence first.

“So, how has your mom been?”

Rey stiffens. Anything involving Kaydel is a touchy subject— though her mom has been sober for six years now, things haven’t always been so good. But Ben already knows this— he was the one who paid for her to go to rehab. 

“She’s… fine. She’s been at her job for almost a year now. Longest she’s ever worked at one place.”

“...Good. That’s good.” 

Ben doesn’t press her for more information like her friends or school counselors do. It’s a relief. Instead, he merely listens and lets Rey talk about whatever she feels like— her evil English teacher, the drama happening in her friend group, the TV show she recently binged on Netflix. 

When Rey starts talking about her Autoshop class, Ben purses his lips and asks, “You haven’t gotten your license yet, have you?”

She rolls her eyes, “No. Mom says we don’t have money for lessons right now, so I’ve been hitching rides with my friend Rose.”

Ben hums in approval, which strikes Rey as odd. 

“What, you don’t want me to get my license?” She quirks an eyebrow at him. 

“Roads are dangerous, that’s all. Besides, now you have your Uncle Ben to drive you wherever you want. What do you need a license for?” he winks. 

Rey snickers at his over-protectiveness, “I think I can handle myself, Uncle Ben.”

He hums noncommittaly in response, fingers flexing ever-so-slightly on the steering wheel.

***

It’s a two-hour drive up through the mountains to get to Uncle Ben’s house. The longer they drive, the more comfortable Rey gets talking to Ben— just like when she was little. 

Every time she’s worried about talking too much, he’ll ask a follow-up question that allows her to delve deeper into the subject. She relaxes into the leather seat of his Tesla, words pouring out of her mouth like a faucet. Without realizing it, she’s telling him things she hasn’t even told her closest friends. 

“...Mom only met this Hux guy _two months ago_ and already she’s going on some fancy vacation with him! And she left me here because of some crap about my grades. At this rate, I’ll never even leave Colorado.”

“Honestly, Rey, you’re not missing much. It’s the dead of winter over there right now— all wet and cold and miserable. Seriously, who goes to Ireland in December? Now is the perfect time of year to go to Australia or New Zealand.”

Rey’s eyes light up, “I’ve _always_ wanted to go to New Zealand! Have you been there, Uncle Ben? You have to tell me all about it.”

“I was stationed there for six months; one of the most gorgeous countries I’ve ever been to. I could take you someday, if you’d like.”

Rey’s eyes widen to the size of saucers— he can’t be serious. New Zealand?! “I would do _anything_ to go there.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he smirks.

Eventually, their conversation tapers off into a comfortable, easy silence. Rey is tired— didn’t sleep very well last night. She leans her head against the headrest and closes her drooping eyelids. 

As they drive up the mountain, raindrops turn to snowflakes on the windshield. 

“I missed you,” Rey murmurs sleepily.

“Missed you, too, angel.”  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> Beta'd by [cheshire_smile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)

Rey wakes up feeling refreshed and better than she has in a long time. 

_ It’s the mountain air _ , Ben had told her last night when they arrived,  _ It’s good for you. _

However, as Rey is getting ready for the day, she quickly realizes she didn’t pack warm enough clothes. 

Looking out through the three-pane window in Ben’s guest bedroom, she sees at least one foot of snow covering the ground that had fallen overnight. It makes a gorgeous picture— snow-covered pine trees, a frozen lake— but it also makes her teeth chatter just from looking. 

So, Rey puts on the warmest outfit she has: a cream knit sweater, black skinny jeans, and chunky white sneakers. 

She’s not sure what her and Ben’s plans are for the day, but if he decides to take her out in the snow she’ll probably freeze to death. Maybe Ben has some cool neighbors she could hang out with while she’s here— maybe even a cute boy.

Rey doesn’t really talk to boys except for her friends, Finn and Poe.

But looking out, she doesn’t see another house for miles. Just more forest.

After she’s dressed, Rey grabs her phone and shoots off a couple texts: one to her mom, and one to her groupchat with Rose, Finn, and Poe letting them know she arrived safely. Normally, she would just call her mom, but Kaydel says international calls are expensive and should only be used in an emergency. She’s probably still on the airplane, anyway.

Rey gives herself one last look-over in the mirror to make sure she’s presentable (doesn’t want Ben to think she’s a slob like Kaydel), then heads downstairs to find her uncle. 

Although Ben gave her a brief tour of the house last night when she arrived, she still gets a little lost on her way downstairs— his place is  _ huge _ . Five bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, sprawled throughout 5000 square feet. 

It’s at least twice the size of her and Kaydel’s house in the city. And, though Ben usually wears all black, his house is pristine and white; white walls, white cabinets, white sheets. It’s like a museum.

The smell of something baking leads Rey to the kitchen, where Ben pulls a muffin tin from the oven right as she walks in.

“There you are,” he says, turning around and placing a pan of fluffy-looking blueberry muffins on the granite countertop, “Someone slept in.”

Rey’s eyebrows furrow, checking the time on the oven; it’s only 8 a.m. On the weekends, Rey usually sleeps in until 10 or 11, but because she went to bed so early last night, she woke up early this morning. 

“It’s only 8!” Rey laughs, “What time did  _ you _ get up?” 

“Four.”

Rey snorts automatically, but Ben remains completely stone-faced. 

“Four in the  _ morning _ ?” Rey says incredulously, raising her eyebrows. 

“How else would I find the time to make my favorite niece her favorite breakfast,” he winks. 

“I’m your  _ only _ niece,” she replies, rolling her eyes dramatically, “But these muffins do smell amazing.”

“Anything for you, angel.” 

Ben lets the muffins cool for a bit before removing them from their tin, making Rey’s mouth water. She can’t remember the last time her mom cooked anything except microwaveable frozen dinners.

“Be careful— they might still be hot,” he says, handing her a paper plate. Rey immediately piles her plate with three of the muffins; she’s never been one to shy away from food— especially good food. Ben hands her a knife and butter, which she applies generously.

“What are we doing today Uncle Ben?” she asks in between bites. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Rey.”

“Oh,” she swallows, “Sorry. I said, what are we doing today?”

“Well, with how you’re dressed we won’t be doing much of anything. Didn’t you pack any warmer clothes?”

She smiles sheepishly and shakes her head, “I didn’t realize it would be this cold…”

Ben sighs like an impatient mother and shrugs off his large black jacket. 

“You can wear mine for now. I have a million others I can wear,” he says, draping the warm fleece over her shoulders, “We can go shopping when you’re done with breakfast— I’ll buy you some  _ real _ winter clothes.”

“Really?!” Rey squeals excitedly. Normally she’d feel bad about spending money, but Uncle Ben is clearly loaded. He won’t even notice. 

“Really. I’ll go warm the car up.”

As soon as he turns around, Rey shovels the rest of the muffins into her mouth and chews as quickly as she can, excited to go shopping. Though her and Kaydel have never had much money, Rey has always had decent clothes. At least, she’s never had to shop secondhand or share clothes with her mom.

Rey opens the fridge for something to drink and grins when she spies an unopened carton of oat milk— Ben must’ve remembered that she’s lactose intolerant. She takes a swig of the milk straight from the carton, then rushes to join Ben in his car. His comically large jacket swishes against her knees as she runs.

When she steps foot outside, Ben hops out of the car, alarm painting his expression.

“Rey, slow down! It’s icy out here, you’re going to fall—”

Right on cue, Rey steps onto a patch of ice she didn’t notice and wobbles precariously on her heels. Ben is at her side in an instant, arms around her back, holding her steady. She freezes, afraid that if she moves she’ll somehow make it worse. 

Ben freezes, too, warm arms wrapped securely around her torso, face dangerously close to hers. She holds her breath, gazing into his wide eyes. When he exhales shakily, she can see his breath. 

“Er-” she clears her throat, breaking the tension, “Sorry.”

He sets her upright and gestures to the still-running car. 

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

***

The nearest town is a 45 minute drive from Ben’s cabin. 

Ben’s fancy car must have special tires or four-wheel drive or  _ something _ , because he seems to be driving just fine on the snowy road. She’s grateful Ben gave her his jacket because it’s really,  _ really _ cold outside. She shivers, causing Ben to turn the car heater up a notch, then her seat warmer.

About a mile or so past Ben’s house, Rey spots a few cabins scattered in the woods. She gets excited until she notices that there aren’t any cars in the driveways and none of their lights are on.

“Where is everyone?” Rey asks. “All of these cabins look empty.” 

“Most people don’t live here year-round— they’ll only come up during the summer to escape the heat.”

“Oh,” Rey sighs, disappointed. She was hoping she’d be able to make new friends here, even if it’s only for a couple weeks. 

“What?” He lightly elbows her in the shoulder, “Am I not good enough for you?”

“What? Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all! I was just thinking, it would— er— be nice to have neighbors in case of an emergency.” Rey cringes at her terrible cover-up, which Ben doesn’t buy in the slightest. 

He takes pity on her, though, and lets it slide, “Actually, there _ is  _ supposed to be a pretty bad blizzard tomorrow. Another reason I wanted to go into town— you can never be too prepared.”

Rey swallows, suddenly nervous, “Blizzard? But we’ll be okay, right?”

She’s heard horror stories about people becoming snowed-in for weeks without food or water, getting cabin fever or dying from starvation. Just last week, Rey and her friends had watched  _ The Shining _ and it still haunts her. She shivers again, but this time not from the cold. 

“We’ll be fine, angel, I promise. I have enough of an emergency food supply to last us a whole year.”

“Oh. If we have enough food, then what supplies do you need to get in town?”

“Ah, just some basic stuff. Rope, for one… Did y’know that I know how to tie over 200 different knots? Even if we didn’t have food, I’d be able to catch us a rabbit or squirrel no problem.”

Rey smiles. Sometimes, having an uncle in the high ranks of the military has its perks.

***

  
  


They head to the outlet mall first to get Rey’s winter clothes. 

In the parking lot, Ben hands Rey his credit card, “Get whatever you want. I need to run a few errands— you have your phone on you, right?”

Rey nods. 

“Perfect, call me when you’re done,” he says. “And, Rey? Don’t talk to strangers.”

She rolls her eyes, “I’m not a little kid anymore, Uncle Ben.”

“Believe me angel, I know,” he replies, ruffling her hair. They go their separate ways, Ben back to the car and Rey to the nearest store— some sort of outdoor recreation shop. 

It takes her a minute to find the winter clothes inside the store; they have everything from sleeping bags to wetsuits to climbing helmets. 

On the drive over, Ben gave her very clear instructions on what to get: a heavy waterproof jacket, long underwear, snow pants, a beanie, and a scarf. Plus anything else she wants. 

Rey focuses on the necessities first. 

An employee points her in the direction of the snow gear, and Rey gets to work grabbing armfuls of the stuff to try on in the dressing room. When she tries on the puffy snow jackets, she feels like a marshmallow, but at least they’re warm. She even finds a pair of cute fuzzy earmuffs to keep her ears warm. 

Right when she’s about to head to check out, a pair of his-and-hers matching pajamas catches her eye. The pajamas have a cartoon picture of Darth Vader— a character from her and Ben’s favorite movie— on the front. They would make the  _ perfect _ Christmas present for Ben. He loves sentimental stuff like that.

She adds them on to her large pile of clothes, and makes sure to pay for them with her own money at the register. 

Finally, she leaves the store with 3 full bags of clothes and a wide smile across her face. She’s excited to show Ben her new clothes and give him his present, even if it’s kind of small. She hopes he likes it. 

Rey sits down on one of the chairs outside the store to check her phone, expecting to see some messages from her mom or friends, but there’s nothing. Ben must have terrible service at his cabin, because the texts she tried to send this morning say undelivered. 

Even more strange is that she has no notifications from Instagram or Snapchat, either. Rey has a Snapchat streak with Finn that’s been going on for almost a year now— he’ll be pissed if she breaks it. 

Rey clicks on Snapchat to check, only to find that she’s been logged out. Every time she tries to enter her username and password, it says ‘account not found.’ Frowning, Rey decides to check her Instagram, then Facebook, then Twitter, all with the same result.

_ “Shit _ ,” she curses under her breath. Someone must’ve hacked her accounts; she knew she shouldn’t have illegally streamed that movie last week.

Well, nothing she can do about it now. Maybe Ben can take a look when they get home and see what’s wrong— he knows how to do everything. 

Sighing, Rey texts her friends to let them know what’s going on, sends another text to her mom, then sends Ben a text saying she’s ready.

He immediately responds that he’s on his way. Her frown deepens; at least  _ someone _ is receiving her messages— but what’s taking her mom and friends so long to reply? While her mom might forget to respond sometimes, Finn, Poe, and Rose would never.

While she waits for Ben, Rey wanders around some of the other stores until she finds a small pet store on the corner. A little husky puppy runs around in the display window, chasing his own tail. 

_ Oh my god _ , Rey thinks.  _ That’s the cutest dog I’ve ever seen. _

Kaydel never let her have a dog before, but she’s always wanted one. 

“Hi,” Rey whispers to the puppy, pressing her fingers up against the glass. The dog tries to lick her fingers through the barrier, making Rey giggle. 

“Find something you like?” Ben whispers into her ear. 

Rey jumps a foot into the air, “Geez, Uncle Ben! You have to stop sneaking up on me like that.”

“Sorry, angel. You get everything you need? We probably won’t be able to come back for a while if the blizzard is as bad as the news is saying.”

“Yep! No more hypothermia for me.”

“Good, wouldn’t want you to freeze to death on my watch. Your mom would kill me.”

Rey scrunches her nose up, “She probably wouldn’t even notice— she’s too busy with her new boyfriend to text me back.”

Ben’s jaw twitches, lips turned downward, “Well,  _ I  _ would kill me. Now let’s get back home before it starts snowing again and doesn’t stop. I have a surprise for you.”

Rey shivers and follows him to the car. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another reminder to please read the tags! cw for mild blood in this chap
> 
> Beta'd by [cheshire_smile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)<3

It’s a good thing Rey and Ben left the mall when they did, because it starts snowing almost as soon as they pull out of the parking lot. 

They barely make it back to the cabin before the wind picks up, turning the surrounding landscape into a flurry of white. 

“Let me get a fire going in the fireplace,” Ben says while they take off their shoes and jackets in the entryway. Rey nods gratefully— his house is freezing. 

“Don’t you have a heater, Uncle Ben?”

“I turned the heat down to preserve gas while we were gone, but I’ll turn it back up now.”

Rey hums in acknowledgment and grabs a big fluffy blanket laying on the arm of Ben’s sectional sofa. She wraps it around herself like a burrito and curls up on the couch while Ben gets the fire started.

He joins her on the couch a minute later, fire crackling behind him.

“Want to watch a movie or something?” he asks. Rey’s teeth are chattering too much to speak, so she nods. After a couple minutes of searching, Ben finds their favorite movie—  _ Galaxy Wars _ , with Darth Vader.

“This used to be your favorite movie,” he says, situating himself right beside her. Rey instinctively huddles closer to his warmth. 

“S-still is my favorite,” she stutters.

“Nice to know Kaydel didn’t  _ completely _ ruin you,” he teases. “At least you still have good taste in movies.”

“Shut up,” Rey laughs. “Oh, by the way, how’s your service out here? I’ve been trying to text Mom and my friends all day, but it won’t send.”

“Trying to text your  _ boyfriend? _ ”

Rey elbows him lightly in the ribs, “You know I don’t have a boyfriend, Uncle Ben.”

“Mhm,” he murmurs skeptically, “As for your phone— I’m not sure what’s wrong. Mine works fine; it might be a problem with your provider.”

“Oh, weird. Can I use your phone, then, to call Mom? She said to only call her if it’s an emergency, so I’ll make it really quick.”

“Sure, sure,” Ben replies, handing her his phone. Rey dials her mom’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail— doesn’t even ring once. She huffs and dials the number again, but the same thing happens.

“It’s almost 10 p.m. over there,” Ben says after her third attempt, “She’s probably just asleep. Let’s watch the movie.”

Rey harrumphs, annoyed, but hands Ben back his cell phone. Why isn’t her mom responding? Has she already forgotten Rey in favor of her red-headed snob of a boyfriend? It’s only been one day. Rey’s too busy silently fuming to focus on the movie, until Ben nudges her with his foot. 

“I’m cold, too, y’know. You’re kind of hogging the blanket,” he whispers. 

“Oh,” Rey untangles herself from the blanket and drapes half of it over Ben’s lap, half on hers. Her cheeks flush red from embarrassment, “Sorry, I didn’t think—”

“I’m kidding, angel. Though this blanket  _ is _ soft,” Ben runs his hands over the top of the blanket, brushing over Rey’s thighs, then up to her arm. He traces light circles on her palm, causing goosebumps to rise.

Wanting to be closer to him, Rey loops her arm through his and leans her head against his shoulder; Ben is warm. Comfortable. He traces soothing patterns on her skin while snow continues to fall outside. 

The movie’s title sequence starts, all trumpets and violins, and Rey relaxes further into Ben’s embrace.

***

A slight stinging in Rey’s nose wakes her up.

She’s lying on the couch, sticky with sweat. Underneath her is something warm and hard but not altogether unpleasant. She blinks her eyes open to find that she’s lying on  _ Uncle Ben’s chest,  _ his arms holding her in place on top of him _.  _ Their legs are tangled together, hanging off the side of the couch.The steady rise and fall of his breathing tells her he’s asleep.

The end credits of the movie play softly in the background.

Jesus— did she crawl on top of him in her sleep? She slips out of his tight hold carefully, afraid of crushing his lungs. 

Fresh blood falls from her nose as she moves out of his grip, and she remembers what woke her up in the first place: her burning nose. Rey sighs— she gets nose bleeds from time to time whenever the weather gets cold. Cupping a hand to her nose to catch the blood, Rey hurries upstairs to her room.

Earlier, she packed a ziploc bag full of tampons with her just in case she started her period early (though it’s not supposed to start for another two weeks). Two tampons in her nostrils should do the trick to stop the bleeding. 

However, when Rey opens up her suitcase, her baggie isn’t there. She searches her whole room up and down— even checks underneath the sink in the bathroom, but she can’t find her tampons. Did she forget to pack them? 

“Rey?” Ben yells, interrupting her train of thought. His heavy footsteps thud on the stairs a second later.

Rey runs to the bathroom to clean up the blood before Ben sees. Luckily, her nose has stopped bleeding so she looks more or less normal by the time Ben makes it to her room. It still burns, but she doesn’t want to worry Ben by telling him.

“There you are,” he says, looking her up and down like he’s checking for injuries, “Don’t run off on me like that, I was worried. What are you doing?”

“I was just, uh, using the bathroom,” she bites her lip, debating whether she wants to tell him about her tampons or not. On the one hand, it’s really embarrassing. On the other hand, she might need them if she gets another nosebleed or starts her period early. 

Rey decides to suck it up and ask, “Have you seen my tampons? I can’t find them anywhere.”

Ben raises an eyebrow at her, “Why, did you start your period?”

“... No, I had a nosebleed.”

“Tampons aren’t good for nosebleeds, Rey,” he says condescendingly, “Besides, I got rid of them.”

Rey’s eyebrows crease, struggling to process his words, “You… got rid of them? Why?”

“You told me you didn’t have a boyfriend. What do you need tampons for if you don’t have a boyfriend?”

She frowns, not following his logic at all. What does having a boyfriend have to do with wearing tampons? Why was Ben going through her things in the first place?

Ben sighs, impatient, “Only sluts wear tampons, Rey. You’re not a slut, are you?”

The word automatically makes her recoil. She doesn’t understand— how does wearing a tampon make her a slut? Rey has always worn them and she’s still a virgin. The farthest she’s ever gone is kissing some random guy at Rose’s birthday party last year.

“I-I don’t understand, Uncle Ben,” Rey mumbles. Her lower lip trembles; she doesn’t like the way he’s talking to her. He’s usually so patient and kind, but this side of him is scaring her.

He seems to sense her unease and softens his expression, “I’m sorry, angel, I know it’s not your fault. Your mom’s been leading you astray, but that’s why I’m here now. To get you back on the right track. You don’t want to end up like Kaydel, do you?”

Rey shudders. No, she most certainly does not want to end up like her mom; in and out of rehab, pregnant at 16, never able to hold down a steady job… Ben knows better than anybody what a mess Kaydel used to be.

With his thumb, he smooths out her worried brow, then tilts her chin up to look at him. 

“Besides, those things are bad for your health. Have you heard of toxic shock syndrome?” He lowers his voice so she has to strain to hear him, “You could  _ die _ , Rey. I won’t let that happen.”

She bites her lip— she  _ has _ heard of toxic shock syndrome, but she thought it was really rare. Of course, Ben would probably know more about it than she would. She certainly doesn’t  _ want _ to put her life at risk, and she’d do anything to not end up like Kaydel.

So, Rey concedes, “You’re right, Uncle Ben. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, angel. Now, come on, let’s get you some dinner.”

***

Ben acts completely normal during dinner, like he wasn’t accusing her of being a slut 30 minutes earlier. He teases her and tells her to stop chewing with her mouth open and talks about all the various places he’s traveled.

Eventually, Rey eases back into their teasing banter like a frog to tepid water. Uncle Ben is family, and he’s always looked out for Rey when her mom didn’t. So what if he’s a little overprotective? 

She’s doing the dishes after dinner when Ben comes up behind her and places a hand at the small of her back.

“I almost forgot about your surprise,” he says, “With all the fresh snow tomorrow, I figured it would be perfect for sledding. I picked up a sled while we were in town, just like when you were little.”

“Aw, thanks Uncle Ben! I haven’t been sledding in  _ years _ .”

Ben’s other hand— the one not at the small of her back— reaches up to pinch her nose, “No problem, angel. Hey, maybe you could try cooking tomorrow?”

“ _ Me? _ ” Rey says incredulously, “But I don’t know how to cook. Mom never taught me.”

His eyes flash with something akin to frustration, but it passes so quickly she’s convinced she imagined it. He smiles warmly, “You’ll get the hang of it eventually, I’m sure.”

Rey shrugs, “If you say so.”

She continues to scrub the dishes, hands turning bright red under the sink’s now-scalding water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to up the chapter count by one don't hate me
> 
> [let's be friends](https://twitter.com/pleasereylo)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by [cheshire_smile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)

Rey sleeps like the dead. 

If it were up to her, she’d sleep in until 11, take a nap at 4, then go back to bed at 1 a.m.

Which is why she’s more than a little annoyed when Ben wakes her up at the crack of dawn— way earlier than any sane person would choose to wake up. Rey groans and rolls over in bed, pulling the sheets above her head. Isn’t this supposed to be a  _ vacation _ for her? Nobody wakes up early on vacation.

“Rey,” he murmurs, “Time to get up, angel. I heated up some leftover muffins for you.”

“Five more minutes,” she grumbles as Ben places a plate of muffins on the nightstand. They  _ do _ smell good. Out of curiosity, she lowers the comforter and cracks one eye open; her room is completely dark, which means the sun hasn’t even risen yet.  _ Why the hell is he waking her up before the sun? _

“Your mom called me this morning.”

This makes Rey sit up immediately, all tiredness forgotten. She rubs at her sleep-crusted eyes and shoots off questions rapid-fire, “She did? What did she say? Can I talk to her? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“She was just calling to make sure you were behaving yourself. I offered to wake you up so she could talk to you, but Kaydel said her and Hux were just about to leave and go shopping.”

“Oh,” Rey’s face crumples. It’s true, then— her mom can’t even bother to answer the phone because she’s having too much fun with her rich new boyfriend. She’s probably ecstatic to not have to deal with her unwanted, underachieving nuisance of a daughter anymore. 

A lump forms in Rey’s throat; she always knew she wasn’t Kaydel’s first priority, but it hurts to see that spelled out so blatantly.

“Don’t be upset, angel,” Ben says, taking her chin in his hand, “You’ll always have me. I would never abandon you like that.”

Rey sniffles, wiping at her nose, “B-but you did, Uncle Ben. When you got promoted, you left me alone for all those years.”

He shakes his head, looking offended that she would accuse him of such a thing.

“That’s not true, Rey. I  _ always _ cared for you. Think about it: how did you always have such nice clothes, despite Kaydel being unemployed for months on end? How were you able to get into the nicest public school in Colorado, despite not living within its boundaries? That was  _ me _ . I’ve always taken care of my favorite girl.”

Ben’s hand slides down to the side of her neck, thumb rubbing up and down in a comforting manner.

“Really?” Rey asks, wide eyes glistening. She always thought it was weird how Kaydel was able to afford certain things for her— nice clothes, good school supplies, a tutor when Rey had trouble learning to read as a child. 

Ben nods.

It all makes sense now— even from another country, Ben made sure she was happy and healthy. He truly cares about her, unlike her mother. All Kaydel cares about is herself.

“I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Uncle Ben.”

“I’d do anything for you, angel,” he says, gazing into her eyes with an intensity that burns straight through her. Rey gets lost for a minute in his whiskey-colored depths; Ben really is quite handsome. Not in a conventional way, but in a primal sort of way that makes her feel protected.

It’s enough to make her forget about the weirdness yesterday with her tampons. Ben is just looking out for her— always has been. 

After a couple of seconds, he pats her arm and stands up, “Finish your breakfast and get dressed, then we can go sledding.”

***

Ben’s cabin sits on top of a large hill that happens to be perfect for sledding. 

By the time Rey eats and gets ready, the sun has risen, bathing Ben’s backyard in a golden glow. He was right about the blizzard last night— several small trees have toppled over, and the bench swing on his patio is on the ground, broken.

Rey must be a  _ really _ heavy sleeper.

The road is covered with heaps of fresh snow, too, meaning they won’t be able to leave the property until the snow plow comes. Good thing they’re prepared. 

“Are your new clothes warm enough?” Ben asks. 

Rey nods excitedly. She’s wearing her brand new black ski pants, boots, and a puffy, light pink snow jacket. Her black earmuffs make her feel extra cute— like she’s in some sort of indie movie. 

“Good,” he says, setting two different sleds on the ground, “Do you want to go separately, or do you want to race down at the same time?”

She sizes up the hill they’re on nervously; it looks really steep. What if she falls out of the sled and breaks her nose? “Ah, maybe you should go first, Uncle Ben. It’s been a while.”

“We could ride together the first time, just so you get the hang of it,” he smirks knowingly. Rey eyes the medium-sized sleds dubiously— no way they can both fit on one sled. Ben is  _ really  _ big.

“Are you sure we’ll fit on that thing?” 

“Of course. You just have to stay real close to me, okay?”

“Okay…” Rey sits down on the front of the sled and grips the rein. A second later, Ben sits directly behind her, chest against her back. It’s a bit of an awkward fit because his legs are so long, but they make it work. She feels slightly better riding with him; Ben is big and sturdy and won’t let anything bad happen to her.

His arms surround her on either side as he grabs the reins.

“Ready?”

She nods against his chest, and he pushes off. They start slow, then, as the hill gets steeper, they pick up speed. Wind rushes through Rey’s hair, stinging her eyes, and her stomach drops as if she were on a roller coaster. Pine trees rush past them in a green-brown blur; it’s  _ thrilling _ .

Rey closes her eyes and leans back against Ben’s wide chest, forgetting why she was scared in the first place.

It’s over much too soon, though; they come to a stop at the bottom of the hill, adrenaline still pumping through Rey’s veins. She hops up from the sled, eager to go again.

“That was  _ awesome! _ ” She exclaims, hopping up and down. 

“As fun as you remembered?”

“Yes!” She grabs Ben by the arm and starts dragging him back up the hill, “Come on, let’s go again!”

Ben chuckles and follows her up the hill; by the time they make it to the top, Rey is out of breath, but Ben’s hardly broken a sweat. Typical. 

“Think you can handle it on your own this time?” Ben asks. Rey nods in response, still out of breath. “Alright, I’ll go first and meet you at the bottom. Remember: tilt your body left or right to steer, and stick your feet out if you want to slow down. Got it?”

“Got it.”

With that, Ben takes off down the hill with practiced ease. It looks a little funny to see a man as big as Ben sledding, but it also makes Rey happy to see that he’s not as serious and intimidating as he seems. She could imagine Ben doing this exact same thing in a handful of years with kids of his own. 

She always wondered why Ben never got married or had kids— he seems like he’d be a good dad. A little overprotective, sure, but good. At least, he’d be a way better parent than Kaydel, and Rey would absolutely  _ adore _ some baby cousins to coo over. 

Ben finally makes it to the bottom of the hill, yelling for her to come join him. Rey takes a deep breath, sits on her sled, and pushes off just like Ben showed her. 

Except, right away, Rey can tell something is wrong. The sled doesn’t feel nearly as stable as it did when she rode with Ben; instead of going straight down, for some reason it’s veering slightly to the right, toward the tree line. 

And she’s going much too fast.

Distantly, she can hear Ben yelling something like “Stick your legs out!” and “Turn the other way!” but her mind has gone completely blank. Rey can only watch in horror as she speeds into the forest, completely out of control. 

She doesn’t get very far before a group of three or four snow-covered boulders sit directly in her path. It’s too late to turn or stop; her sled hits the rocks at full speed, launching Rey into the air like a catapult. Instinctively, she sticks her arms out to break the fall, causing her to land on her right wrist with a painful ‘pop.’

Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, the momentum makes her face skid against the sharp rocks, scratching her cheeks and nose to all hell. 

“Rey!” Ben yells from behind her, crossing the distance between them in three quick strides. “Rey, angel, are you okay? What hurts?”

“M-my wrist a-and my cheeks,” she stutters out in between sobs. Her whole face stings, her wrist is throbbing, and she can feel fresh blood dripping down her cheeks like tears. 

Gently, so gentle she can barely feel it, he takes her hurt wrist in his hand and examines it. She winces as he gently pokes and rolls it in a circle.

“Take a deep breath, Rey.”

“Wait, why? What are you going to—”

He maneuvers her hand into the position he wants, applies pressure, and then...  _ Pop. _

“ _ Ow _ !” Rey screams. 

“Sorry _ , _ ” he grimaces, “Your wrist was dislocated from the fall— I had to pop it back into place.”

“A little more warning would’ve been nice,” she groans through clenched teeth.

“Your arm will be sore for a couple days, but you’ll be fine. Now, we need to get these cuts cleaned up so they don’t get infected,” Ben says, unceremoniously lifting her into his arms like a baby. 

Rey throws her arms around his neck for support, then winces when she accidentally bumps her wrist. “I can walk, Uncle Ben! It’s my  _ wrist _ that hurts, not my legs.”

“You hit your head— I don’t want to risk it,” Ben replies. Rey huffs but doesn’t press him— arguing with Ben is like arguing with a brick wall. 

He carries her up the hill with ease, never stopping once to catch his breath. Rey is most definitely getting blood on his fancy Canada Goose parka, but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

Finally, they make it back to the cabin where Ben sets her on the kitchen counter to grab his first-aid kit. He wasn’t kidding about being prepared— he comes back with a first-aid kit so extensive it must rival the local hospital.

Ben takes out the gauze and wipes, muttering under his breath, “...Because Kaydel never feeds you.”

“Huh?”

“That’s why you couldn’t control the sled,” Ben repeats, frustration lacing his tone, “You’re skin and bones, Rey. Kaydel clearly didn’t feed you enough as a kid— one of the things we’ll have to work on.”

“Oh,” Rey frowns, feeling like this is somehow her fault, “Are you mad at me?”

Ben stops shuffling through the first-aid kit to look Rey in the eye, “No, angel, I’m not mad at you. Never you.” He presses a tender kiss to the top of her head, careful to avoid any of her cuts. 

Then he grabs one of the alcohol-free wipes and gently dabs at the scrapes on her cheeks and nose. He’s standing close to her— so close that Rey can see little flecks of green in his irises as he cleans her. 

In the too-intimate silence, a question Rey has been wondering since she first saw him bubbles its way through her lips. “How did you get your scar, Uncle Ben?”

“You know I can’t talk about my job.”

“So you didn’t get it from a sledding accident, then?”

The corners of his lips turn up into a soft smile, “No, it wasn’t a sledding accident... I will say, I look a hell of a lot better than the other guy.”

Rey nods solemnly as she processes this crumb of information. It’s rare that Ben tells her anything about his job, so she’s not going to pester him for more and risk him shutting her down. 

“I think it suits you, the scar. Makes you look more… rugged. I like it.” Without thinking, Rey gently traces the length of his scar with her pointer finger. It feels cooler than the rest of his skin.

Rey follows the line of his scar up his cheek and past his eyebrow, stopping when it tapers off at his forehead. Ben closes his eyes like he’s trying to focus solely on her touch. His nostrils flare. 

She’s so mesmerized by his features— the moles that pepper his skin, his dark eyes, his prominent nose— that she continues tracing lines across his face like a cartographer. Her finger trails down his nose and finally rests on his plush lips. 

Ben’s eyes flicker open, pupils dilated a mile wide. He’s gazing at her like he did this morning, so intense it makes her squirm. His face inches impossibly closer to hers, making alarms blare in Rey’s head. He’s not about to… to  _ kiss _ her, right? That would be weird. He’s her uncle. 

Panicking, Rey blurts out the first thing that comes to mind to distract him, “One of my coworkers got fired for having sex in the employee restroom.”

That makes Ben halt his movements immediately. He blinks a couple times, clearly trying to process the sudden change in topic. Once he gets it, his hands clench into fists. 

“... You have a job?”

“Er, yeah. Mom didn’t tell you? I got a job doing luggage at the airport on the weekends.”

He exhales heavily through his nose and takes a step back, “No, she didn’t tell me.”

Rey’s eyebrows furrow, confused as to why he seems mad all of the sudden, “I like to work. All my coworkers are really nice, and sometimes they let me do homework when it’s slow. I’ve been saving up money to hopefully take a trip my senior year.”

He smiles a tight-lipped smile, “Well, you don’t need to work anymore, angel. I’ll take care of you; anything you want is yours.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Rey grins from ear to ear, “Even a trip to New Zealand?”

“If the roads weren’t blocked, I’d drive us to the airport  _ right now.  _ We can go during your next school break.”

Rey squeals excitedly, already picturing herself ziplining through the jungle or swimming on the beach. She’ll need to get a new bathing suit, some bug repellant… Maybe Ben will even let her friends tag along!

“Oh, thank you Uncle Ben!” Rey yells, hopping off the kitchen counter to give him a hug. 

“Sure, sure,” he chuckles, “You can send an email to your boss and let him know.”

“Oh. Right.” She bites her lip nervously; she doesn’t actually want to quit her job, but if it means Ben will take her to New Zealand… “I’ll email him right now.”

He cleans up the last of the blood from her face while Rey types out her letter of resignation. She doesn’t understand why Ben wants her to quit so bad, but she’s not going to complain about a free trip.

“You’re the  _ best _ , Uncle Ben.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will heat up i promise lol
> 
> [let's be friends!](https://twitter.com/pleasereylo)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve! One more chapter to go.
> 
> beta'd by [cheshire_smile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)

The next couple of days pass in a blur.

Snow continues to fall in a never ending squall, making the roads even less driveable; Rey helps Ben decorate his Christmas tree (a  _ real _ tree, not one of the cheap Walmart ones Kaydel buys); and Ben teaches her how to cook. 

Despite her still-sore wrist, she finds that she actually enjoys cooking. It’s fun and easy— Ben even lets her play Christmas music while she bakes, turning the ordeal into more of a dance party than a chore. Over the course of two days, Rey makes chicken noodle soup, tacos, spaghetti, and BLT sandwiches. Ben keeps a close eye on her to make sure she eats enough— he’s still worried about her weight.

Rey gives up on trying to contact her mom and friends— Ben says it’s pointless because the blizzard disconnected their wifi, anyway. She’ll just have to wait until she goes back home next week.

The cuts on her face eventually scab over, and Ben has to remind her not to pick at them every 10 minutes. They don’t go sledding again.

Finally, on Christmas Day, Rey wakes up at 6 a.m. practically  _ buzzing _ with excitement; she’s so excited she doesn’t even complain about waking up early. She hasn’t looked forward to Christmas this much since she was a kid. 

When she makes it downstairs, Ben is waiting by the Christmas tree with two mugs of hot chocolate.

“Morning,” he smiles, handing her one of the mugs.

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Ben!” Rey cheers, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. Then, as she surveys the room, she nearly does a spit-take— the Christmas tree is surrounded by  _ dozens _ of elegantly-wrapped presents. 

“Holy cow,” Rey cries, “These aren’t all for me, are they?”

“Who else would they be for?”

“This is… It’s too much,” Rey says, shaking her head. When did he even find time to buy all this? 

“I haven’t been able to give you presents for six years— think of it as making up for lost time,” Ben says, handing her a small box, “Here, do this one first.”

“Okay…” Rey agrees, still skeptical. She plops herself on the carpeted floor and opens the first gift. Underneath the wrapping paper is a little blue box— a  _ Tiffany’s _ box. Rey gulps and slides the box open to find a delicate gold necklace with a circular pendant. 

“Oh my god,” Rey gasps— it’s  _ beautiful _ . 

“You like it?”

“I  _ love _ it, Uncle Ben! I’ll never take it off,” Rey says, clutching the box to her chest. She has no idea how much the necklace must’ve cost, but she’s positive it’s now the most expensive thing she owns.

“Let me put it on for you,” Ben replies, reaching for the box. Rey watches with rapt interest as his big fingers unclasp the dainty necklace with ease. She turns around to give him better access, then holds her breath as he hooks the necklace around her neck.

“There,” he whispers. His fingers linger on the back of her neck until she finally turns back around. 

Rey rubs her thumb and pointer finger over the smooth surface of the necklace. The shape of it is more of an oval than a circle, she would say. Almost like a… 

“It’s a halo,” Rey breathes. Of course it’s a halo; Ben has been calling her angel since before she could talk. She doesn’t know why he calls her that, but it has always made her feel special.

Ben nods in confirmation.

The rest of the presents aren’t nearly as expensive as the necklace, thank God. Ben got her a point-and-shoot camera, a new rain jacket, a Prada shoulder bag, some makeup brushes and a cookbook. 

Rey raises an eyebrow at that one, to which Ben nonchalantly replies, “I figured you would like cooking.”

She shrugs; she  _ does _ like to cook, and it’s not like she’s not going to complain about free stuff.

When she only has one present left under the tree, Rey finally gives Ben his gift. It’s almost embarrassing, really, to give him a measly pair of pajamas after everything he gave her, but Ben doesn’t seem to mind. 

“Darth Vader!” He exclaims as he unwraps them, “These are awesome, Rey, thank you.”

“Sure,” Rey replies shyly, “I got myself a pair, too, so we could be matching. I know it’s super lame, but...”

“I  _ love it _ , angel— let’s change into them now.”

Rey grins, happy that Ben likes his present; it’s hard to shop for a man who seems to have everything he could possibly want. 

They both head to their respective rooms to change, then come back out a couple minutes later. Rey giggles when she sees Ben— the red-and-green pajama pants are a little too short on his long legs, and the matching shirt is slightly too tight around his pecs. Altogether, though, it doesn’t look bad.

Hers is a little baggy, but that’s how she likes her clothes to fit anyway.

“Oh my god, Uncle Ben, they’re  _ adorable! _ Oh, I have an idea— let’s take pictures in our pajamas with my new camera!”

Ben grimaces in mock pain. “Alright, but only if you don’t post the pictures anywhere.”

“Sure, sure,” Rey agrees, avoiding eye contact. They’re  _ definitely _ going on Facebook the second she gets home. Ben rolls his eyes but joins Rey on the couch anyway. She fumbles around with the camera for a minute before finally figuring out how to work the controls.

She turns the camera around so the lens is pointed at their faces.

“Say cheese!”

Ben casually throws his arm over Rey’s shoulder and smiles for the camera until the flash blinds them both. Rey quickly checks the picture to make sure it isn’t blurry or out-of-frame.

“Perfect!” She squeals, “Okay, let’s do another one, this time with a silly face.”

Ben nods and scoots closer. Rey holds up a peace sign.

“One… Two…”

Right as the flash goes off, Ben places a kiss on her cheek.

“Uncle Ben!” Rey giggles, wiping at her cheek. 

He gives her a sly wink and says, “I think there’s a setting where the camera will take a bunch of pictures in a row. We should try it out.”

“Okay,” Rey laughs, still giddy from his kiss on the cheek. She switches the camera setting to take multiple shots, then turns it around to face them once more, “Alright, I’m going to press it in three… two… one!”

_ Click. _ Ben kisses her cheek again and Rey covers her mouth in faux-scandal.  _ Click. _ Ben presses a kiss to her forehead and Rey sticks out her tongue.  _ Click. _ Ben kisses the corner of her mouth and Rey’s eyes widen.  _ Click. _ Ben kisses her on the lips. 

His kiss takes her so by surprise that she’s completely frozen for a couple seconds— unblinking, unfeeling. Then her instincts kick in, she closes her eyes, and she kisses him back.

It feels way better than when she kissed Snap at Rose’s birthday party last year. More synchronized, less wet. Rather than just smashing their mouths against each other, their lips move together, creating a sort of push-and-pull. He tastes like hot chocolate and marshmallows.

But then her brain catches up with her body, and Rey realizes what she’s doing: she’s  _ kissing  _ her  _ uncle _ . Her mother’s brother— the man who practically raised her. 

She slowly pulls away from him, afraid any quick movement will set him off. She expects Ben to be just as horrified as she is, but when Rey opens her eyes, he’s  _ smiling. _

A warm, toothy smile. 

“Oh, angel, I’m so glad you feel the same. I knew you’d come around.”

Rey’s mouth drops wide open like a fish, brain scrambling to find words. Her mind is completely fried. Everything she thought she knew has just been turned upside down; what does Ben mean ‘ _ feel the same? _ ’ He couldn’t possibly think that she— and him—

“Hey, you never opened your final present. I think you’ll really like this one,” he says, handing her the last gift under the tree.

Like the first step in the seven stages of grief, Rey is in shock and denial. She can’t process that her uncle kissed her and what that means; was it just a familial gesture, or something more? Rather than think about it, she unwraps the present he hands her on autopilot. 

It’s a stuffed lamb that squeaks when pressed, like a dog’s chew toy. 

“Wha—”

“I saw you looking at that dog the other day, and I thought he’d be good company while I’m working, so…” Ben stands up and makes his way to the garage while Rey stays frozen on the couch. Ben comes back a few seconds later with a ball of black and white fur nestled in his arms. 

“He wasn’t easy to get up here with the blizzard and all, but I know people,” Ben says, setting the sleeping husky puppy on Rey’s lap. Her heart absolutely  _ melts _ from the moment he settles on her thighs.

“ _ Oh my god _ ,” she whispers, not wanting to wake the puppy up. The dog gives her a little yawn and shakes his head, still asleep, “He’s so cute, Uncle Ben! I love him.”

Kaydel is  _ definitely _ going to kill her when she brings home a puppy, but Rey doesn’t even care. She’s wanted a dog for years— something to play with and take care of and cuddle whenever she wants. She loves him, and she won’t let her mom or anyone else take him away.

“What do you want to call him?” Ben asks.

“Hmm… How about Fang? White Fang used to be one of my favorite books!”

“Fang is perfect.”

***

Rey spends the rest of the afternoon playing with Fang, distracted enough to push the kiss to the back of her mind. Ben acts like nothing happened, so she does too.

Besides, Fang is an energetic puppy who loves to run around and chew things, requiring her full and undivided attention; Ben says she’ll have to train him really well. More than once, she has to stop Fang from chewing up Ben’s shoes. 

“It’s not his fault, _ ” _ Rey says defensively, “He’s probably just bored.”

“I got a harness and a leash for him— you can take him for a walk if you want,” Ben replies. 

“Really? But won’t he get cold?”

“Nah, huskies were made for this kind of weather. He’ll be alright.”

“Sweet! You wanna go for a walk, Fang?” Rey asks in a lilting voice one might use on babies. The dog yips in response.

“Here,” Ben says, handing her a can of bear spray, “Be careful. I need to send some emails and stuff for work, so stay in the backyard and  _ don’t _ go into the woods.”

“You got it, boss.”

“I mean it, Rey. Don’t go into the woods.”

“...Okay. I won’t.”

With a parting kiss to her forehead, Rey puts the harness and leash on Fang, and they head into the backyard. It’s still snowing, but the wind has died down so it’s not as bad as it was a couple of days ago. 

The fresh air— and being away from Ben— helps to clear her head. She starts thinking about what happened earlier, when Ben kissed her. 

And the more she thinks about it, the more unsettled she becomes. There’s no way a kiss like that was platonic; and then, to make matters worse, he made that comment about her feeling the same...

She thinks back to a few days ago, when Ben was cleaning the cuts on her face. It had seemed like he was going to kiss her then, but she had brushed it off. He’s always been a bit overbearing, but she figured that was just his personality. 

She tries to remember if he did anything like this during her childhood, but she can’t remember. Maybe he picked it up while he was abroad?

Fang quietly barks at her ankles, pulling Rey from her thoughts. She smiles down at her dog and gives him a few scratches behind the ears, causing his fluffy tail to wag furiously.

“Are you cold, boy? I know I am. Uncle Ben said you won’t get cold but I don’t believe him. Let’s run back inside and grab some warmer clothes.”

Rey ties Fang to the patio railing and opens the back door quietly, not wanting to disturb Ben if he’s still working. A small part of her is avoiding him, too— just until she can make sense of what’s happening.

She walks over to the coat rack to grab her jacket when a buzzing noise coming from the couch catches her attention. Curious, she makes her way over and spies Ben’s phone squished between two of the cushions; it must’ve fallen out of his pocket.

She doesn’t understand why it’s buzzing— she thought he didn’t have service. 

Frowning, Rey picks up his phone and sees that he’s getting a call from her mom— from Kaydel. Her frown deepens. Why is Kaydel calling  _ now _ , after virtually ignoring Rey for a week? Maybe Hux left her and she’s calling for money or something. Wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.

Rolling her eyes, Rey answers the phone. 

“What is it, Mom?”

“Rey? Rey, is that you? Oh my God, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all week. Are you okay? Where are you?” Kaydel’s words are rushed and quiet, like she’s afraid someone might hear her. 

“I’m fine, Mom. I’m at Uncle Ben’s cabin, where else would I be?”

The line is dead silent for a couple of seconds. 

“...Is Uncle Ben with you, right now?”

“He’s upstairs in his office, I think. Why?”

“I need you to listen to me, Rey,” Kaydel says, voice urgent. “Run. Don’t say a word or grab anything, because he’ll know. Drop this phone and run  _ now _ .”

Rey’s stomach sinks, hands trembling, “W-what do you mean, Mom? You’re scaring me…”

“Goddammit, Rey,  _ run!  _ Your uncle is trying to—”

The cell phone is snatched out of Rey’s hands before Kaydel can finish her sentence. Ice floods Rey’s veins and her stomach sinks. 

“Don’t you know it’s rude to snoop through someone’s phone?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: minor character death
> 
> Final chapter! Made this one a bit longer as an apology for being late. Hope you guys like :)
> 
> Beta’d by [cheshire_smile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Smile/pseuds/Cheshire_Smile)

[ ](https://nickpic.host/image/auuapq)

Rey has always had something of a rebellious streak in her, at least when it comes to her mom.

When she was 13, Kaydel told her not to cut her hair short, so that night Rey took a good six inches off with a pair of rusty kitchen scissors.

When Rey got to high school, Kaydel told her to take Spanish, so Rey took French instead.

Once, Kaydel bought the exact same shirt as Rey so they could be matching; Rey donated her shirt to Goodwill the next day.

Though Rey loves her mom, they are almost always at odds with each other. It’s hard for Rey to trust someone who has always been unstable— switching between jobs and boyfriends and narcotics without a care in the world for how it might affect her daughter.

Ben, on the other hand, was always the responsible one; the one who made sure Rey got enough to eat and did her homework. Just this week, he’s spent thousands of dollars to make sure she’s happy and safe and warm. 

So, when Kaydel tells Rey to run away from Ben— her uncle, her friend, her protector— Rey doesn’t immediately move. 

“Don’t you know it’s rude to snoop through someone’s phone?” Ben snaps. He snatches the offending item out of her hand and into the pocket of his jeans.

She blinks a couple times, trying to form a response, before she finally answers. “S-sorry… I heard your phone buzzing and saw that it was my mom, so I answered.”

Ben narrows his eyes in suspicion. “And what did she say?”

“Not much… She just asked where I was, which I thought was weird.”

“Indeed. That’s all she said?”

Rey hesitates for a moment. For some reason she doesn’t want to divulge the rest of their conversation— feels like it’ll make Ben mad. But she’s always been a terrible liar, so she can’t help but blurt the truth, “She told me to get away from you.”

Ben huffs and pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“I thought this might happen…” he sighs, shaking his head, “Look, Rey, I didn’t want to tell you this because I didn’t want to worry you, but your mom has been using again. She’s probably high out of her mind right now; you can’t believe anything she says.”

Rey sucks in a quick gasp and steps away from Ben. “No. _No_. Mom’s been sober for six years now, she wouldn’t… she wouldn’t do that to me.”

“I didn’t want to believe it, either, but it’s true. Her boyfriend probably got her hooked again— I heard he runs with that crowd.”

“ _Hux,_ ” Rey spits. She knew she didn’t like the man, but she never thought he would make Kaydel relapse— what a slimy, pathetic excuse for a human. And Kaydel was dumb enough to fall for his nice guy act. _Again._

“God!” Rey yells, frustration bubbling up in her chest. After all the money and work they put into getting her sober again, she ruins it all over some guy she barely knows. And what does this mean for Rey? She’s still a minor, so she can’t be alone for however long it will take for Kaydel to get clean. 

Sure, Rey has a meager savings account, but she quit her job. How long will her savings last if she has to pay for rent, utilities, and groceries all on her own... Hell, she can’t even _drive._

“It’s not _fair!_ ” Rey yells again, louder this time. Years of pent-up anger course through her veins, seeking an outlet. Without thinking, she lashes out, knocking over a lamp on the end table by the couch.

The white porcelain lamp falls to the ground with a crash, glass flying in every direction; it gives Rey a sick sort of satisfaction.

“Rey,” Ben says quietly, trying to calm her down, but she’s not having it.

“No, Ben, it’s not fair!” Rey cries, tears of frustration beading in the corners of her eyes. Wanting to cause more damage, Rey grabs one of the pillows off the couch and throws it at the wall, knocking over and shattering an old family photo. She kicks down the end table for good measure, too.

Ben makes no move to stop her.

“Everyone else— Rose and Finn and Poe— they all get normal families! A mom and a dad who take care of _them,_ rather than the other way around. But I’m stuck with... with _her_! I hate her!” 

The tears gathering in Rey’s eyes finally bead over, and she sinks to the ground, exhausted. She curls her knees into her chest— trying to stifle the weight of her sobs— and mumbles to herself, “I hate her, I hate her, I hate her.”

Ben kneels on the floor beside Rey. Without saying a word, he wraps his arms around her in a tight hug and doesn’t let go. Rey tries to push him off because she’s mad and overwhelmed, but he just holds her tighter. 

Eventually— though she’s not sure how long— Rey gives in and leans into his embrace. It’s too much effort, both physically and mentally, to try to push him away. When she finally tucks her head into the crook of his shoulder, she sighs shakily.

Ben is all she has now. 

  
  


***

  
  


They stay like that— crouched on the ground, arms around each other— for minutes that feel like hours. Eventually, Ben gets up and puts Fang in his kennel in the garage, then returns to Rey. 

He lays down on the floor and pulls Rey on top of him like a blanket. He shushes her and strokes her hair and assures her everything is going to be okay. 

“I don’t want you to worry about your mother, okay?” He whispers. “I’ll take care of everything. This isn’t the first time I’ve helped Kaydel... get back on the right track.”

Rey’s sobs finally begin to quiet as the aching in her chest is replaced with a numbness. It’s easier, less painful, if she turns her emotions off. Monotone, Rey replies, “I can’t believe she would do this again, after everything we’ve been through.”

“Once an addict, always an addict. She doesn’t care about you, Rey; the only thing she cares about now is her next hit.”

Rey nods blankly, immediately accepting of this information. She’s always known it, hasn't she? Ben has told her time and again, ever since she was little, that Kaydel’s priorities lie elsewhere. Maybe if she had listened to Ben all along, she wouldn’t feel so devastated now. 

Rey burrows deeper into his chest, clinging to him like she’s afraid he might up and abandon her, too. She can’t lose Ben, she just _can’t._

As if sensing her desperation, one of Ben’s hands reaches up to grip her hip and keep her in place.

“It’s okay,” he whispers, thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. “I love you, Rey. You know that, right? I would never hurt you.”

Rey nods into his chest. Uncle Ben is the only person she can count on, the only one who truly cares about her. Everything good in her life— her education, her clothes, her new puppy— it’s all thanks to him. 

If she thinks about it too much she’ll start crying again, so Rey closes her eyes and focuses on the patterns Ben is tracing on her hip instead. Under her ear, she can hear his heart beating steadily in his chest.

Her heart slows, beating in time with his.

Time seems to stand still while they lie there together. Wood crackles in the fireplace, wind rattles the windows, and the washing machine churns quietly in the background.

Just as Rey is about to force herself back to reality, Ben’s hand skims further down her hip. She holds her breath and zeroes in on his movements, suddenly very aware of the intimate position they’re in.

He plays with the hem of her pajama top for a minute until his fingers slowly creep underneath the fabric. When his thumb makes contact with the bare skin of her back, he exhales softly. 

Rey shivers.

Just like he did with her hip, Ben rubs soothing circles onto her naked back, making goosebumps erupt along Rey’s flesh. His touch is a welcome distraction from Kaydel and Hux and what the hell is going to happen after Christmas Break. She doesn’t want to think about those things— she doesn’t want to think about _anything_. 

Ben’s hand trails further up her back until he lands at her bra clasp. Rey’s eyebrows furrow, but she says nothing. 

He toys with the clasp for a few seconds before he unhooks it.

“Ben,” Rey whimpers, “What are you doing?”

He hums, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry, angel. I’ll take care of you.” 

Ben slowly rolls them over so he’s hovering on top of her. He scans her face, waiting for some kind of reaction, but Rey can’t bring herself to say or do anything. She’s frozen. Numb.

Ben must take that as a good sign, because in one fluid motion, he lifts Rey’s shirt up and slides off her bra, exposing her stomach and breasts. The cool cabin air washes over her bare skin, making her nipples pebble. 

He looks at her like he wants to devour her, causing her heartbeat to stutter in her chest. 

“God, you’re perfect,” Ben rumbles, leaning down to press a kiss to the valley of her breasts. He trails kisses up and down her chest until he finally lands on her nipple, sucking it into his mouth. 

Rey gasps at the sensation as he swirls his tongue around her. She can’t help but arch her back to give him better access— it feels good. At least, it feels like _something_ , which is better than the numbness that was threatening to swallow her before. 

In the back of her mind, she knows she should stop him, but she can’t bring herself to do it. So long as she doesn’t think about it, she can pretend they’re in some alternate universe where they’re not uncle and niece.

Ben switches his attention to her other nipple, licking and sucking until she’s writhing underneath him. Her instincts take over and she throws the rest of her shirt off to the side so he has more room.

Everything happens quickly after that, both of them consumed by a lust-induced haze.

Ben peels off her boots and pajama pants with practiced ease. His heavy weight on top of her is comforting and crushing at the same time; she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. 

His fingers trail down to the waistband of her underwear, slipping underneath the fabric to ghost over her sex. Rey moans as he finally lands on her clit, rubbing it in tight circles that make her chest heave.

She squirms underneath him, desperate for more, when he runs his fingers down through her folds.

“So wet already. All for me,” he murmurs.

Without preamble, Ben eases one finger into her entrance, then another. Rey bites her lip at the intrusion— his fingers are really thick. He pumps in and out of her a few times, stretching her, gathering her wetness. Her eyes flutter into the back of her head as he kisses her, slow and sweet with a hint of desperation. 

The only sounds are their heavy breathing as he crooks his fingers in her _just so_ and coaxes an unexpected orgasm out of her. 

Her climax is different from the ones she gives herself in the privacy of her room, late at night, with a pillow between her legs. It doesn’t crash over her like a tidal wave or make fireworks explode behind her eyelids; it’s longer, more drawn-out, but with no real relief. Like riding a roller coaster and getting stuck right before the big drop.

It leaves her wanting more. 

Her whole body shudders as she comes down, tears involuntarily escaping her eyes. “Good girl,” he praises, kissing away her tears. 

Slowly, Ben eases his fingers out of her sex and pushes them into Rey’s parted mouth. 

“Suck,” he commands, eyes black with lust.

Rey does as he says and sucks his fingers into her mouth, licking them clean. She doesn’t mind; they mostly taste like salt.

Satisfied, Ben pulls down her ruined underwear, leaving her completely bare before him. 

The sound of his zipper is the only warning she gets before she feels something thick and blunt press against her folds. Suddenly, everything is very, very real. _They’re about to..._ Rey thinks, starting to panic just a little bit. 

“Wait, maybe we should—”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Ben interrupts, peppering wet kisses along her jaw. As if he didn’t hear her, his cock swipes along her folds, gathering the wetness. 

Everything happens too quickly for her to process, mind running a million miles an hour. But then he notches the head of his cock in and she can’t think about anything other than the heat between her legs.

Her breath hitches as Ben slowly sinks into her, stealing all the air from her lungs. He curses under his breath, shaking above her like he’s trying to restrain himself from moving too fast. 

His hands bruise her hips as he pushes in a little and then pulls back, gradually stretching her open.

Rey’s heart is racing, breath coming in quick gasps, and he’s not even all the way in yet. He works her open patiently, taking a little more of her with each steady thrust. 

It hurts; feels like he’s stretching her too thin, tearing her apart… But it also feels good, in a way. The pain supplies her with exactly what she was looking for— a distraction. Suddenly, she _needs_ him all the way inside her. 

“Almost there. Doing so good,” he murmurs. Finally, he pushes the rest of the way into her at the same time that Rey lifts her hips up to meet him. They groan simultaneously as he bottoms out, Ben resting his sweat-covered forehead against hers. 

Rey grimaces and shifts her hips side to side, trying to adjust to his length. It’s a lot. Ben mistakes her discomfort for eagerness and begins to move above her.

“Feels so good, angel. You’re mine, now. Just mine.” 

He slowly pulls out, thick cock dragging along her walls. Rey clings to his neck and bites her lip through the pain. She refuses to cry— she’s shed enough tears today to last a lifetime. 

“Been a while,” Ben puffs out. “Might not last long.”

Rey nods— it’s not like she has anything to compare this to, anyway. 

He pushes back into her, settling into a steady rhythm that makes her toes curl. His speed increases with each thrust, hand trailing down her body to find her clit.

Rey closes her eyes and lets herself get swept up in the sensations; the too-full feeling in her lower stomach, the aching in her cunt, the tingling pleasure he’s drawing out with her clit. It’s a heady combination. 

“Fuck, I’m close,” Ben curses. “Be a good girl and come for me.”

Rey nods, meeting him thrust for thrust until she’s right at the edge. Finally, he thumbs her clit and slams into her so deep that she can’t help but fall over into oblivion. This time, her mind goes completely blank as she climaxes, stars behind her eyes.

Her walls contract around him with each pulse of her orgasm, pulling him deeper. Sweat drips from Ben’s forehead as he pounds into her with single-minded determination, pushing her legs up to slide impossibly deeper.

“Love you so much— gonna come. Gonna come inside you,” Ben pants. Rey’s mind is still hazy from her orgasm, so she hardly registers his words, just hums in response.

Ben’s pace stutters; he slams into her one last time before emptying himself inside her with a grunt. Warmth fills Rey, coating her insides and stuffing her beyond capacity. 

“ _Fuck,_ ” he groans, rocking his spend deeper into her. 

His shuddering breath tickles her ear when he finally pulls out, cock dripping with their combined fluids.

Ben rolls them over so they’re lying on their sides, facing each other. She closes her eyes and inhales his scent: cedar and cardamom and sweat.

Once they catch their breath, Ben pulls away slightly and parts her knees with his hand. His expression is soft as he trails his way to the apex of her thighs. She doesn’t dare look, but she knows it must be a mess down there— can already feel his cum dripping out of her. 

“What are you doing?” Rey asks, confused. 

Ben doesn’t say a word; he simply scoops up his cum with two fingers and pushes it back into her sore cunt. 

“Tilt your hips up. It’ll stay in better,” Ben oh-so-graciously informs her. 

It hits her, then, what just happened— she just had _unprotected_ sex. With her _uncle._ Rey isn’t on birth control or anything, and Ben finished inside of her. She feels sick, suddenly, bile rising in her throat. 

Rey scrambles out of Ben’s grasp and runs to the nearest bathroom; she barely makes it to the toilet before she throws up the contents of her breakfast.

Ben is at her side in an instant, holding her hair back so it doesn’t fall in the water. He’s already decent again, tucked away inside his pajama pants— the same pajama pants that she was so excited to give him only a few hours ago. 

Meanwhile, Rey is crouched on the hard bathroom tile, still completely naked. Despite Ben’s efforts, she can feel his cum dripping out of her and onto her thighs, which causes her to heave into the toilet again. 

“What’s wrong, angel?” Ben asks. “Was it something you ate?”

Rey’s lower lip trembles— how does he not know? How is he not sick to his stomach at what they just did? “W-we had sex… you came inside me.”

“We made love,” Ben corrects her like she just got a homework question wrong. He hands her a washcloth to wipe off her face. 

“No, I— I was distraught about Mom and not thinking straight. I would never—”

“Rey, I know you better than anyone; you can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to me. It felt good, didn’t it?”

Rey frowns. It doesn’t matter how it felt— it was wrong. Right?

“Look, you’re clearly confused,” Ben sighs. “It’s been a long day. Let me grab you something to drink, and then we can take a nap, hm? You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

It _does_ sort of feel like she’s having a bad dream. Maybe if she goes to bed, she’ll wake up and it all will have been a horrible nightmare. 

“Okay,” she agrees.

  
  


* * *

Rey wakes up the next morning decidedly _not better_ ; she feels dirty and gross and sore all over.

Standing on wobbly legs, she heads to the bathroom to take a shower. 

She turns the nozzle to its hottest setting and lets the scalding water turn her skin red. Ensuring no part of her is left unchecked, she scrubs herself from head to toe twice over, taking extra care between her thighs. 

But no matter how hard she scrubs, she can’t erase the memory of his touch.

  
  


***

  
  


Rey spends the next two days curled up in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, praying for her period to come. 

She’s never been particularly religious, but she swears that if she gets her period this month, she’ll join the first church she comes across and dedicate the rest of her life to service. 

With Kaydel being a teen mom, Rey of all people should have known better; she hates herself for being so careless. Not to mention that Ben is her _uncle_ ; what if the baby comes out with six fingers or webbed feet?

 _One step at a time,_ she thinks.

Not wanting to deal with Ben, Rey tells him that she’s sick. She doesn’t have the energy to plaster on a smile and act like everything is okay, which is what he seems to be doing. Rey knows that everyone copes in different ways, but Ben is just a touch too smug for her liking. 

When she tells him that she doesn’t feel well, he dotes on her— brings her food, checks her temperature, fluffs her pillows. It’s a bit ridiculous.

He doesn’t try to go further than a quick peck on the lips, for which she’s grateful. The whole situation is confusing enough as it is. Rey is just hoping that she can avoid Ben for long enough that the roads clear— maybe things will go back to normal once they’re not cooped up inside all day.

The snow plow _still_ hasn't come, though, which makes her worry. How is she supposed to get back to her house before school starts again in a week?

She misses her room and her friends and even her mom. There’s something about a mother’s embrace that makes a person feel like everything is going to be okay— and Rey desperately wants to feel like everything will be okay. 

Her and Ben haven’t talked about their plans yet, but she assumes he’s going to stay with her in the city until Kaydel gets better— just like when she was little. The thought makes her stomach churn anxiously.

“Angel?” Ben’s voice rings from the other side of her bedroom door, pulling her from her thoughts. “I brought dinner.”

He opens the door before she can respond and sets the food on the nightstand: leftover chicken noodle soup, saltines, and tea.

“How are you feeling?” Ben asks, placing a hand on her forehead to gauge her temperature. 

“A little better,” Rey rasps, trying to sound as convincingly sick as she can. Ben clearly isn’t buying it anymore. 

He sighs impatiently. “Look, you don’t have a fever and you haven’t thrown up in two days. What’s the problem?”

“Nothing,” Rey replies too quickly.

He shakes his head. “Fine, don’t tell me. Would seeing Fang make you feel better?” 

Rey perks up immediately and nods enthusiastically. She’s been trying to convince Ben to let her see Fang for two days now, but he claims he doesn’t want the dog to make her more sick. As if that’s even possible. 

“Alright,” he agrees, rolling his eyes. Ben leaves the room and comes back a minute later with Fang following closely on his heels. 

“Fang!” Rey exclaims when he trots into the room. The puppy barks excitedly and hops up on the bed beside her. She scratches him behind the ears and coos, “I know it’s only been a couple days but I missed you, boy.”

He licks her face in response.

Seeing Fang is like a breath of fresh air, breathing new life into Rey. He can’t compare to her mom, but he makes her feel better regardless. At the very least, Fang’s happy face is enough to take her mind off the thoughts that have been plaguing her for the past two days.

“Ah, so _Fang_ gets a smile out of you and not me. I see how it is,” Ben teases. 

Rey contemplatively rubs the cold metal of her halo necklace for probably the hundredth time. She still hasn’t taken it off. 

Her eyes connect with her uncle’s for the first time in days. She gives him a small, genuine smile. “Well, Fang _does_ have a much better sense of humor than you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t forget to eat your dinner,” Ben replies, brown eyes twinkling. “Sweet dreams, angel.”

***

Rey is woken from her slumber by a quiet grunting in her ear. At first she thinks it might be Fang, but no, it’s way too deep and human-like for a puppy.

She’s lying on her side, naked and sticky with sweat, while something _pushes into her_. She tries to scramble away, but her body feels sluggish, like she’s moving in slow-motion, and her head is pounding. Rey whines, distressed. Why can’t she move?

“Shh,” Uncle Ben coos, “Go back to sleep. I’m almost done.”

He’s thrusting in and out of her slowly, like he’s trying not to jostle her too much. He’s _having sex with her_ , she realizes. It hurts just as much as it did the first time, but Rey is so out of it that she can’t find it in herself to protest. It feels surreal, like she’s watching it happen to someone else rather than her— maybe she’s still dreaming?

Ben buries his face into the crook of her neck and inhales deeply. “Gonna fill you up. Gonna fuck my cum inside of you until you’re pregnant and full of _me_.”

Rey’s eyes widen and she begins to push and scratch at Ben’s hands in earnest, trying to get him to let her go. 

“Please,” Rey slurs, struggling to get the words out in the right order, “Don’t want to end up like her, like Kaydel—”

"Kaydel was a slut who fucked any guy that gave her attention,” Ben snaps. His pace is bruising now, shaking the whole bed. “But we love each other— we’re _meant_ for each other. I was too late to save Kaydel, but you… You’re mine."

“ _Please_ ,” Rey begs again, mind still fuzzy. She can’t get pregnant— she’ll be the laughing stock of her whole school.

He ignores her plea, pounding into her two more times before finally spilling over. Ben mouths at her neck, more cum streaming into her with every rock of his hips. Rey feels like she should cry, but she can’t seem to conjure up the tears.

Ben sprawls his hand over her bare stomach. "Don't worry, angel, our babies will be perfectly healthy. Kaydel was adopted, you know. Mom and Dad’s little charity project."

“Y-you’re not my real uncle?” 

Rey’s head swims with this news. In some ways, it’s a relief. She can tell herself she didn’t have sex with her uncle, but rather a… close family friend. It eases some of her worry and guilt.

Still, she feels betrayed. How come no one bothered to tell her?

“I may not be your uncle, but I love you just the same,” he says, pressing a sweet kiss to her nose.

Rey passes out again before he can say anything else.

***

The next morning, scratching and whining at Rey’s door wakes her. 

_Fang?_ she thinks. _Why is he outside?_

She blinks herself awake and is nearly knocked breathless by a splitting headache. It feels like she got hit by a _truck_. What happened last night?

Rey tries to get up so she can let Fang in, but two strong arms— what can only be _Ben’s_ arms— pull her back to bed. 

Memories from last night come flooding back to her all at once: the too-salty chicken noodle soup, Ben crawling into bed with her, Ben telling her he’s not her real uncle. The exact details are still fuzzy, but she remembers enough to be _pissed_.

Yanking Ben’s arm from around her torso, Rey shoots up from the bed and glares at him. His hair is sleep-tousled, but his eyes are alert. 

“Rey? What is it?” He looks her up and down and it’s only then she realizes she’s still naked. Whatever.

“You… You drugged me!” Rey yells, looking at him incredulously.

He shrugs. “You needed something to help you relax. You hadn’t left your room or even _looked_ at me for two days.”

Rey shakes her head, dumbfounded at his nonchalance. “You said you were going to get me _pregnant_.”

“I did let that slip, didn't I?” He chuckles like he just heard a funny joke.

Rey’s temper flares, incensed by his attitude and non-answers. “You drugged and _raped_ me, Ben. Is this some sort of game to you?”

“Spare me the dramatics, Rey.”

“ _Dramatic?”_ Rey snarls. “I’ll show you _dramatic.”_

Without thinking, Rey swings open her bedroom door, hops over Fang’s pouting form, and runs down the stairs as fast as she can. She can hear Ben yelling after her, his thundering footsteps chasing her. She hopes he slips and falls and breaks his leg. 

Rey successfully sprints across the living room (careful to avoid the broken glass still on the floor) and throws open the back door. The cold air rushes through her hair and makes her nipples harden— she’s still very much naked. And barefoot. Nevertheless, she charges into the snowy backyard. 

Rey barely makes it two steps before Ben catches up with her. 

He grabs her by the upper arm and yanks her back inside 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ben seethes. Rey smirks, glad to have finally gotten under his skin. He’s holding her back against his chest, hard cock nestled between her ass cheeks. 

“What the fuck do you think _you’re_ doing,” Rey retorts.

His grip on her arm tightens. “Watch your mouth.” 

“Oh, excuse me. Heaven forbid I curse, meanwhile _you_ can do whatever the fuck you want!”

He flips her around so they're facing each other, eyes piercing. 

“You’re right, Rey, I _can_ do whatever the fuck I want. You wanna know why? Because I’m the man and you’re the woman. If I want to fuck you, then I’m going to fuck you. If I want to knock you up ever year for the next ten years, then _that’s what the fuck I’m going to do._ ”

Rey gapes, astounded by his vulgar words. She thought Ben was a little old fashioned, but _this_ … This is something else altogether.

“I’d like to see you try,” Rey snarls after she comes to her senses. “My mom— Kaydel won’t allow it. You’ll go to jail.”

Ben slams the back door shut so hard it makes the one of the window panes break.

Not one to be outdone, Rey grabs the window curtain and yanks it down, making the curtain rod loudly clatter to the floor. Then, she kicks over the coat rack by the door and watches it crash beside the remains of the lamp she broke two days ago. 

(Leave it to a _man_ to not clean up broken glass on the floor.) 

Rey glances around the room, deeply satisfied with how she’s managed to devastate Ben’s once-perfect space in the span of only a couple days. Shattered glass covers the floor, the window curtain is no longer on the window, the end table is on its side, and, for the finishing touch, muddy paw prints stain the white tile. 

She’ll have to give Fang an extra treat for that later. 

Ben’s eyes narrow, nostrils flaring. Before she can take off again, he scoops her up in a fireman’s carry and unceremoniously dumps her on the living room couch. She glares up at him with as much vitriol as she can manage. 

“Let me tell you exactly how this is going to go,” Ben grits through clenched teeth. His face is red with barely-concealed fury, but his voice is deadly calm; it almost makes Rey miss his smug smirk.

He flips her over so she’s on her hands and knees, ass in the air. “You’re going to finish school online so you can come with me on my business trips. You’re going to cook and clean— _starting with this room_ — and let me fuck you whenever I see fit.”

Rey scoffs and tries to turn back around, but Ben pushes her face into the cushion. She hears shuffling behind her, then feels the scratchy texture of a rope looping around her wrist. 

“Are you _tying me up?_ ” Rey gasps. She thrashes against his hold, but he’s too quick; before she can even blink, he has her hands tied behind her back like a turkey. Ben pushes down on her back, forcing it to arch. 

“Can’t have you running away, now,” he murmurs fervently.

His cock swipes through her folds, which Rey is mortified to find are wet. She shouldn’t be turned on by this; she _refuses_ to be turned on by this... But her body won’t listen. She can’t help but groan as he pushes in. 

“Knew you liked it,” Ben chuckles. He doesn’t give her time to adjust before he starts thrusting into her rough and bruising like he’s trying to punish her. 

“We’ll pop out some pretty babies,” he continues, telling her exactly what he plans to do with her. “I’ll even take you to New Zealand just like I promised. We’ll be _happy_.”

“You _can’t_ ,” Rey repeats, stubbornly holding on to her last shred of hope. “Kaydel—”

“Kaydel is _dead_ ,” he snaps. “A tragic overdose.”

Rey’s mouth drops wide open, stomach sinking. No. He’s lying. He _must_ be lying. Her mother can’t be dead— she just talked to her a few days ago. No way. 

Ben’s thrusts lose their rhythm, pounding into her erratically. He’s close.

“I’m your guardian now, angel. I can do whatever I think is best for you. And what’s best for you—”

He slams into her one last time, coming inside her wet heat. 

“—is _me_.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m thinking about posting some of my old deleted darkfics on [twitter](https://twitter.com/pleasereylo), so give me a follow if you’re interested
> 
> Some of my other darkfics:  
>  [bite marks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26740588/chapters/65237728)  
>  [Road to Ruin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398948)  
>  [when the sun goes down](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24919672/chapters/60305560)


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